This dish taught me a valuable lesson: Always look in the mirror before venturing into public. I failed to do this. Four hours later, while still in public, I realized that I had a red sauce spot right on the center of my forehead. If someone had decided to lick it off of my face, they would have said, “Wow, that’s a delicious and spicy sauce. Where can I get more?” Well, weird stranger. You’re in the right place.
I love these one-pot meals because LESS DISHES need to be washed! And they always seem to be extra comforting. This chicken is more on the festive, fiery side, and I love it.
To make it, start by seasoning a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Then, brown them in vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot that has a lid. When the thighs are browned, set them aside on a plate. Well, maybe this chicken requires two dirty dishes.
To the same pot, add 1/2 of a thinly sliced onion and stir it around, scraping up any bits of browned chicken, until the onion softens. Then, add in 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, and 2-3 minced chipotle peppers (from a can). I used 3 chiles, and they were really spicy. Use 2 if you want to be extra cautious. I grabbed the chiles out of the can with my fingers, and my hand smelled like chipotle for the rest of the night. I thought it was wonderful, you might not.
Stir everything around until the garlic softens.
Add in 1 can of diced tomatoes along with their juices and 1 teaspoon of salt. Fill the can 1/4 of the way with water and add that in too. Once the tomatoes come to a simmer, add the chicken back into the pot. Cover the pot, and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
When that time is up, remove the chicken from the pot again. Rinse off 1 cup of basmati rice, and stir it into the pot. Put the chicken back in, recover the pot, and let it simmer for 25 more minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
Serve your spicy chicken and rice with plenty of cilantro and lime wedges. I also crisped a tortilla to help scoop the rice up. Steamed broccoli or another green vegetable makes a nice palate cleanser if the heat ever gets to be too much. Enjoy this one. I really did!
This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart’s
Everyday Food magazine.
Shopping list:
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs- 6-8 pieces
- Basmati rice- 1 cup
- Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce- 2 or 3 peppers
- Diced tomatoes- 1 can
- Onion- 1
- Garlic- 2 cloves
- Cumin- 1/2 teaspoon
- Lime- 1
- Cilantro
- Vegetable oil- 2 tablespoons
- Salt and pepper http://www.wittyinthecity.com/2012/02/spicy-chipotle-chicken-and-rice-in-a-single-pot/
Don’t worry! Pumpkin chicken thighs aren’t a strange, physical disorder. They’re just a delicious dinner! And a good way to use up some pumpkin purée if it’s taking up too much space in your freezer. I tried turning the purée into a pumpkin soup, but it didn’t turn out so good. Fortunately, my soup failure makes a great sauce for roasting chicken ! This chicken should remind you of man pleasing chicken because it’s cooked using the same method, but the results are much different (although it still pleased David). This chicken is sweeter and has a less intense flavor.
To start, preheat your oven to 450ºF. Then, place boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a baking dish and season them with salt and pepper.
In a side bowl, whisk together 1 cup of pumpkin purée, 1 cup of chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala (or curry powder), salt, and black pepper. Phew. Pour the mixture over the chicken.
Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, baste it with more sauce, rotate the pan, and bake it for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Let the pan rest for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven. Spoon some of the pumpkin sauce over the chicken thighs to serve. The chicken smells so good as it cooks, and it tastes great too. Now, does anyone have a proven recipe for pumpkin soup? http://www.wittyinthecity.com/2011/12/pumpkin-chicken-thighs/
